Shakespeare Shrine

This is another shrine I made for pinkleo in the Shrine Swap, and was based off her request for “anything Shakespeare related”. 

The base is an ATC Shrine Kit from Tiny Things are Cute, along with the tiny books and tiny tankard.  I painted, stamped, and “shimmered” the shrine base pieces before assembly.  (I have to say that Linda Cain's tutorial over on FRIENDS in Art was incredibly helpful!)  The image of Shakespeare himself is actually a vintage cigarette card from 1924.  Yep, it’s just about 90 years old! The crown on Shakespeare and the one on the skull, as well as the “play” charm, pawn, heart lock, stone owl, letter beads and skull bead all came out of my stash. The scroll of paper at the top reads, “He was not of an age, but for all time,” which is a quote about Shakespeare by fellow playwright Ben Johnson. 

Many of the items in the shrine are references to famous lines from Shakespeare’s plays.

Crown on Shakespeare:
“My crown is in my heart, not on my head;
Not decked with diamonds and Indian stones,
Nor to be seen: my crown is called content:
A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy. – Henry IV

Crown on skull:
“Give me my robe. Put on my crown. I have
Immortal longings in me. Now no more
The juice of Egypt’s grape shall moist this lip.” – Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra

Heart: “A heart to love, and in that heart, Courage, to make love known” – Macbeth

Skull: “Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him.” - Hamlet

Pawn: "My life I never held but as a pawn to wage against thy enemies” – Kent, King Lear

Tankard: “I would give my fame for a pot of ale and safety” – King Henry V (my very favorite Shakespeare play)

Shell: “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite” – Juliet, Romeo & Juliet

Owl: “Believe me love it was the owl,” which is actually from the film Shakespeare in Love ;)

Shrine to the Goddess of Crafty Inspiration

This shrine was created for Pinkleo in the Shrine Swap.  It is an assemblage shrine to someone we all worship, the Goddess of Crafty Inspiration.

The wooden frame came from the dollar store, and the bits and bobs that make it up came from my stash, work, my car, the craft store, Knickertwist’s garden, and a many came from sheepBlue in a bundle of goodies she sent me in the IYP 23 Swap.  (sheepBlue, can you find all nine?)

Metal tag, acrylic crystal jewel, thimble, charm, and domino.

Vintage glass button and wooden thread spool.

Burned out headlight from my car, and carnelian stones to lend energy to craftiness.

Vintage game token, buttons and a tiny Delft shoe.

Bird's nest with a broken rhinestone earring, freshwater pearls, and vintage buttons.

Vintage watch face, tin, and pen nib charm.

Vintage vial full of seashells, bottle of freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystal beads, shell, metal rose, and sleeping moon face.

Copper key, broken enameled bumblebee earring, wooden letters, lace, ceramic owl bead and a piece of licorice root.

For anyone interested in the process, I first painted the entire base in black craft paint.  The cubbies were then painted with a crackle medium, so that the over layers of paint would crack to reveal the black beneath. Next of course, is the contrast paint, which crackled nicely over the crackle medium.

After that, I laid out all the items where I wanted them, and then took pictures so I wouldn't forget where anything went!  Next I glued in the very back layer of items.  (The things that lay flat against the back.)  The paper items were put in with archival safe book binding glue, and the more solid items were put in with E6000, the best glue ever made.  After those all dried, it was time for a layer of standing items, and the gluing and waiting process repeated in that way for several more sessions.  I usually let the shrine rest for at least 8 hours after putting things in.  Some items were after thoughts, and were a little tougher to arrange after other components had gone in, like the lace behind the key in the bottom right box.  That was inserted with tweezers and toothpicks well after the key & “MAKE” letters. 

The metal pieces on the front came from my stash of Tim Holtz goodies.  I used some Vintaj metal paint in agate to highlight the words, and wiped it off the front, and distressed them slightly with a Vintaj reliefing block.  After all that was done, I painted the back burgundy, and distressed it with a sanding block, before stamping it, and highlighting the stamped areas with a gold gel pen.  Finally, I added a row of fabric measuring tape around the outside edge.